Study of the subjectivity of classical dance dancers in their formative, professional and retirement stages

Abstract

A qualitative study was performed among professional classical ballet dancers across their learning, professional and retirement stages; they are all mexican people. The investigation purpose was to learn and understand the subjective configuration that they develop, regarding their lives and profession on each stage. Based on the semi-structured interview technique, the method employed was speech analysis. For interpreting the subjectivity of the dancers, the following categories were used: zone of sense and alienation. The sample was composed by three dance students, three professional dancers and three retired dancers. The results revealed some differences in the subjective configurations among the three stages; however, the zone of sense was consistently identified being externally to the person, in the institution and in the other, which made evident the existence of an institutional alienation, namely, the prevalence of the norm and of the daily practices. Based on these results, it is established the necessity of transforming the formative process and professional stage in the dancers guild, promoting and incorporating reflective and critical practices.